Main navigation

Other Funding Sources

Programs

Breadcrumb

Fejos Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ethnographic Film

Fejos Postdoctoral Fellowships in Ethnographic Film support the completion of ethnographic film/s based on anthropological research already accomplished by the applicant. Fellowships are awarded to scholars in the earlier stages of their careers, when they frequently lack the time and resources to develop their research in the form of ethnographic film. Scholars who have received a Ph.D. or equivalent within ten years of the application deadline are eligible to apply. A maximum of four full Fejos Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded annually.

By providing funds for scholars to devote themselves to full-time work on a research-related film, the Foundation aims to enable a new generation of scholars to present their work via this medium. Broadly speaking, we seek to support projects that will have an impact on the field of anthropology -- as well as outreach beyond the academy -- through the support of exciting new and innovative work in the field of ethnographic film.

The fellowship is named after Paul Fejos, who was an early ethnographic film maker (1935-1941) and the first director of the Wenner-Gren Foundation (1941-1963). (For an historical overview of Fejos's career as a flimmaker and a detailed description of the ethographic films resulting from his expedition to Madagascar and the Seychelles, read Jesper Andersen's piece "Under the Tropical Sun: Paul Fejos's Film Expedition to Madagascar and the Seychelles 1935-36." for the Danish Film Institute's Kosmorama newsletter and blog.)

Paul Fejos was an innovator in his time and in honor of Fejos’ legacy, we encourage innovation in film making in terms of process, formal approaches, and the integration of film/video with other forms relevant to visual anthropology (e.g. social media, web-based platforms, crowd-sourced production, and other media platforms that offer new ways of developing outreach to diverse communities). Because "innovation" is more than simply the way things look on screen or the use of social media, the Fejos Fellowship encourages new approaches tothe ethics of representing diverse social worlds through a public form, and to rights to materials and copyright.

There is no preference in this fellowship for any particular underlying research methodology, research location or subfield. The main requirements are that the proposed film is firmly rooted in the applicant’s completed research, is innovative in approach, and has the potential for a broad impact both within and beyond the discipline.

Fejos Postdoctoral Fellowships are nonrenewable, and provide US $40,000 of financial support for twelve months of continuous full-time work on the project. Applicants requesting shorter time periods will receive a pro-rated award as appropriate (e.g., a six-month project would be awarded $20,000). It is Foundation policy that Institutional Overhead or Institutional Support is not covered under this fellowship. Applicants can apply regardless of institutional affiliation, country of residence, or nationality. There is one annual application deadline on May 1. Final decisions are made six months later.